Anthology’s reference library contains the world’s largest collection of paper materials documenting the history and practice of American and international avant-garde/independent film and video. The library contains nearly 10,000 books; 24,000 files organized by individual, institution, and subject; 250 sets of periodicals; thousands of stills; and various other paper, audio and visual materials.

The holdings include books, periodicals, photographs, posters, tapes of lectures and interviews, distribution and festival catalogs, as well as files on individual film- and video-makers, and organizations active in independent film and video. The files contain original documents, manuscripts, letters, scripts, notebooks, clippings, photographs, and stills.